­Losar is Tibetan New Year

Losar is a chance for Tibetans and SFT UK groups to celebrate. It's also a great opportunity to promote the Tibetan cause and foster some new interest at Uni. This page should help you with ideas, recipies and tips for a New Year to remember!

Read the Story of Losar by Venerable Salden of Namgyal Monastry and a summary by the BBC.

The Tibetan calander is lunisolar. Tibetan New Year therefore varies with respect to the Gregorian calender but falls close to the begining of Febuary. This year Losar is on February 7th 2008.

Run a Tibetan Food Night

This can be as intimate as you like, but it's worth thinking big. From our experience, this this event is consistantly well attended. Everyone can learn a bit about a culture from cooking and eating food. Decorate the venue - there are decorations available from the Online Store. Invite people early, get everyone involved in the cooking and chopping and they'll all be chatting by the end of the night. There are some recipies and a tradition you may wish to partake in below.

An extract from 'The Story of Losar'

"The custom that day [Tibetan New Year's Eve] is to make special noodle called guthuk. It is made of nine different ingredients including dried cheese and various grains. Also, dough balls are given out with various ingredients hidden in them such as chilies, salt, wool, rice and coal. The ingredients one finds hidden in one's dough ball are supposed to be a lighthearted comment on one's character. If a person finds chilies in their dough, it means they are talkative. If white-colored ingredients like salt, wool or rice are inside the dough it is considered a good sign. If a person finds coal in the dough it has much the same meaning as finding coal in one's Christmas stocking; it means you have a 'black heart'."

This Tibet Foundation article includes a table of the varying shapes and symbolisms of the dough balls. 'Gu-thug' before 'Lo-sar'

These dough balls can add another twist to your Losar celebrations. Have fun!

Recipies

Tibetan Food...

Check this site for some classic mo-mos, thenthuk soup, balep korkun bread and butter tea - http://www.tanc.org/new_food/

Or here for more ideas - http://asiarecipe.com/tibet.html

SWEET MOMOS - try these as a twist on the traditional...

Momo dough
1/2 kg flour
1 cup water
1tsp baking powder

Stir flower and baking powder together in a bowl. Add water slowly and squeeze together with hands until flour is completely absorbed. Knead for 5min, turning dough often. Cover with a wet cloth and set aside for at least 5 min. knead the dough again and roll into a long thing shape. Cut dough into pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Roll out the ball into round flat shapes with a rolling pin, constantly turning the dough to make the centre thicker than the outside. Place 1tsp of the filling into the centre of the dough and wrap it from edge to edge to create a momo shape. Boil water in a steamer and steam the momos for about 15min

Sweet filling
4table spoons of oil
2 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Preheat frying pan and add oil. When oil is hot, turn to a low heat and add flour, sugar and sesame seeds. Mix quickly and stir constantly. Cook for 1-2 min until golden brown. Allow to cool before making momos.

And Drink!

For all of you homebrew fiends, this is the CHANG recipe:
5lbs Barley or rice
5 1/4 quarts water
1/2 cup active dry bakers yeast

Boil grain in water until it has absorbed most of the liquid. Spread it on a clean cloth to cool; when lukewarm mix yeast into mash well; put into a strong bin liner, then wrap in another one, wrap in a blanket, keep warm, by a radiator prefereably, away from direct sunlight, for at least a week (after this stage, it is sleeping, the longer ot sleeps, the stronger it will be when it wakes up). When you want to use it, put mash in pot (s) cover 2 inches above grain, stand for 2 hours or so, strain through cheesecloth, cover mash and make another brew, repeat siving process, put into bottles, taste as you go, and you'll like it by the end.

CHANG KUE recipe (Losar treat)
2 cups fermented rice/barley mash
3 cups water
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup stinking fetid cheese
1/4 cup tsampa (roasted barley flour)

Mix rice mash with water, boil, add raisins, cheese, tsampa, boil until it thickens. Serve hot and enjoy, hopefully!

If you make some money during your Losar event please consider donating to SFT UK's campaigns